Charge-forming device



I. T. swAR'ri CHARGE FORMING- DEVICE Filed June 30- 920 July 31, 1928.

Patented July 31, 1928.

AUNITED straws;

PATENT OFFICE;

IRA T. SWARTZ, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, Assreuon, CBY! M'ESNE Assreuurnnws,

OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA;

GHABGEHEOBMING; DEVICE.

Application? filed June 30,

My said invention relates to the formation of combustible gas ,by the mixing of airwith the vapor and spray derived, from hy drocarbon liquids b forcinmair. throughsald 6% liquids, and com iningthe' vapor or. spray with air in appropriate proport ons Referring to the accompanying; drawing, which is made a part-hereofandon whlchi similar reference. chunactersiindicate similar:

M'Ihefigure is a view partlyan sideieleva-i tion; and partly in; section showingaun t power plant embodying my; said, iI'lYQIllllOD.

In said drawing, the portions markedi; A

I! represent the base which also terms. the liq uid fuel supply; tank; B the motor Q the crank casing, and D, agasdome. I

Thebase All is preferably a; hollowcastlng,

or ismadein anyother appropriate manner,

2.0 formed hollow and constituting a liquid supply tank whichmayv efi lled or fedifrom any appropriate reserve supply through, an open. ing 10, or in any other desired manner. The motor B; as shown, is, at two-cycle gaso- 85 lineengineof; an ordinanytype. 'Ilhecrank casing G is mounteduporr the base- A and supports the motor B; and 1510f; an air-tight construction. a

a The: gas domebD; is mounted above the 30 base'or tankA and communicates therewith through apipe 11; and; has; aseries-ot cones 12 mounted therein one above anothen-pref erably formed of fine Wire-gauze. Theupper GIIdaOf dome; D hasa d scharge pipe teem-mating in-a IIOZZlQJA arranged to; d15- charge into: a; mixing chamber; 15 formed or mounted; on the side: ofthe m0tor;;B- and from. which portslfi L'Z lead; into the cylinder; of, said motor. Ainother pipe 1-5 leads from azpoinhwi fih he ot m i ffiwk Aland Communicates; with a small? auxiliary reservoir, 19% above domezDoand; preferably formed; with or attached; to the outlet pipe 13. Said neservoin has a{ small opening QQ arranged to discharge into the nozzlep pe 141 suarounded by a valve seat nd! ontg i sd by a needle valve; 21. An. exhaust:..p1pe 22 connects with; the cylinder of the motor an opening 24 and a jacket 25 surroundsi'saad exhaust pipe and also thenmlixinghchamber 15,, having openings at, the: top: fenthe. ad mis ion: or nd othe QPQBJIQS: 26 con; trolled by a valve ou damper regulatiing the supplyoi aarta the; m xing chambers.

A; pipeescenmcta thmuglhthemedmmai 1920. Serial no, 393,116,

a check valve casing 29 Witha, pipe 30 leading into the crank casing C;

In operation, the tank A is filled with. gasoline to a point substantially as indicatedl in Figure l but leaving a, space-between thetop of the liquid and the top of the chamber in-Which it iscontained. The motor-being set in motion, operates to a draw air through the openings26 regulated by the valveoi' dampen 27 through the jacket 25 Which, after, the engine is in operation is heated-by the heat of the exhaust pipe Which said jacket surrounds. The gas, vapor, or fumesfroln the liquid fuel, Will also be drawn by the Suction through nozzle 14 and lIllXQClglIl chamber 15. with. said air andi will, then, be drawn into the cylinder beneath the. piston and compressed by the downward stroke of thenpiston' in crank, casing C2 As, the engine or motor operates,its suctionalso draws through pipe 18 from the bottom oftanlcA the residue or heavier portion of the liquid fuel. At each downwardstroke :of the piston. acertain quantity of air is forced from crank casing C by the check valve, at the top of pipe 28, down through said pipe 28 i into, the dome or tank and, upth-rough, the liquid fuel in said tank causing a. violent agitation of said-fuel and the-more volatile portion thereof. to vaporize and pass, up through pipelL into doine D, the vapor particlesbeing caught and expanded, over the meshes of the screens 12 and asthe operation ofthe engine creates-a suction as Well ascoinpression it serves to draw th-roughsaid dome and, create avacuum therein, and said vapor particles are thoroughly broken upv and forced through the nozzle 14 a into I the mixing chamber 1 5 wherevthey connningleandg combine with the air a to form; a combustible. gas and pass on into the engine cy1inderfor use in thewellknown manner. Y

The-chamber 1 9v serves to collect a certain part; ot the heavier liquid fuel and. retain the same, while the engine is at; rest, inpo sition for ready atomization as soon as the engine begins operation. It will; be noted that the atoms of fuel passing through the fine needle valve opening are drawn; across tubet13,s0 that-the particles thereof are; sub jected to the agitation of the currents pass; ing through said tube and heavier particles falling down arebcaught in the screens lfl wherethey are expanded, broken up and, re dated; to the fineness! equired Watkins? tion with the air in the mixing chamber to make a perfect combustible fuel.

Mounted in the mixing chamber is a butterfly valve 31 connected by any approved means (not shown) to be manually operated and controlled from a position which will be convenient for the operator. bile engine this would be at the wheel, in a stationary engine plant, it would be alongside the other controlling devices. Said butterfly valve performs a two-fold function, first, it serves to regulate the amount of air passing to the mixing chamber and, second, when it is closed, to shut oil not only air, but to fit over the end of nozzle 14 completely closing said nozzle and preventing the waste of fuel and holding the generated gas in the dome D so that it will be available for starting purposes. The face of said butterfly valve at the point adapted to cover the end of nozzle 14 is preferably faced with some soft material 32, such as, leather, felt, rubher or the like, which will furnish a cushionlike seat and secure a perfect fit.

It will be understood that while I have shown this gasser as incorporated in a stationary plant, designed particularly as a unit power plant, yet it is adapted for all characters of engines where combustible fuel is used as the motive power.

It will also be understood that the arrangement of the apparatus as shown is only for the purpose of illustrating an arrangement which will disclose the purpose and operation of my invention and that many modifications may be made therein to adapt it for power plants of other types or for the manufacture of combustible gas in connection with other apparatus and I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the construction or arrangement shown, except in so far as may be required by the claims, the invention consisting broadly in using air under pressure for vaporizing or gassing the volatile portions of liquid fuel by forcing the same through said liquid fuel and also in mixing with the products thus obtained air from the outside and then continuing to mix and force the complete mixture over and over again through the liquid fuel and at the same time draw from the bottom of the liquid fuel chamber the heavier parts of said fuel, reduce the same to spray or atoms and combine with the other portions and air, thus producing a combustible fuel that will prove most eflicient in use as well as economical in production.

Having thus fully described my said in vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for forming combustible gas comprising a liquid fuel tank, a crankcase and a motor disposed one above the other, means of communication between the In an automocylinder of said motor and said crank-case and between said crankcase and said fuel tank, a gas-dome connected with the top of said tank, a nozzle leading from said gasdome to a mixing chamber, a pipe leading to said nozzle from within the bottom of said fuel tank, and means for varying simultaneously the supply of fuel from said nozzle and the supply of air from the outside to said mixing chamber, substantially as set forth.

2. An apparatus for forming combustible gas comprising a liquid fuel tank, means for forcing air through the fuel in said tank, a dome connected with said tank, a mixing chamber, a nozzle adapted to discharge from said dome into said mixing chamber, and a butterfly valve mounted adjacent to the nozzle and at the entrance to said mixing chamber, said valve being arranged to open or close both the outlet from said nozzle and the inlet to said mixing chamber simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

3. An apparatus for forming combustible gas comprising a liquid fuel tank, means for forcing air through the liquid 'fuel'in said tank, a gas chamber above and communicating with said liquid fuel tank, means for creating a vacuum in said gas chamber, a pipe leading from the lower portion of said liquid fuel tank to an auxiliary tank above said gas chamber, communication from said auxiliary tank to the nozzle of said chamber, a mixing chamber, and means for controlling the tlow of fuel and air from said nozzle and the outside respectively to said mixing chamber, substantially as set forth.

4. A charge-forming device for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel tank, means to force air through the fuel in the tank, a mixing chamber, a nozzle arranged to feed the carbureted air to the mixing chamber, a normally open air intake for the mixing chamber and a throttle valve arranged to close simultaneously the intake for the mixing chamber and the outlet of said nozzle, substantially as set forth.

5. A charge-forming device for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel tank, means to force air through the fuel in the tank, a mixin chamber, a horizontal nozzle arranged to feed the carbureted air to the mixing chamber, a vertical tube leading to the nozzle, a spray nozzle at the opposite side of the tube from the first-named nozzle and connected to the fuel tank, and means in said tube to catch falling spray for subsequent vaporization, substantially as set forth.

6. A charge-forming device for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel tank, means to force air through the fuel in the tank, a mixing chamber, a horizontal nozzle arranged to feed the carbureted air to the mixing chamber, a vertical tube leading to the nozzle, a spray nozzle at the opposite side of the tube from the first-named nozzle and connected to the fuel tank below the normal fuel level whereby unatomized drops of fuel fall back toward the fuel tank, substantially as set forth.

7. A charge-forming device for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel tank, means to force air through the fuel in the tank, a mixing chamber, a nozzle arranged to feed the carbureted air to the mixing chamber, and a throttle valve having a resilient facing adapted to engage the nozzle and close the aperture thereof, substantially as set forth.

8. A charge-forming device for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel tank,

means to force air through the fuel in the tank, a mixing chamber, means arranged to feed the oarbureted air to the mixing chamber including a nozzle, a vertical tube leading to the nozzle, a spray nozzle at the opposite side of the tube from the first-named nozzle, and one or more screens in said tube to catch falling drops of liquid fuel for subsequent vaporization, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 24th day of June, A. D. nineteenhundred and twenty. I

IRA T. SWARTZ. 

